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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. content — happy
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rock — music
  5. charge — in control
  6. current — of water
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. land — to come down
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. current — electric
  11. rock — a stone
  12. content — the amount
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. charge — electricity
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bark — to shout
  17. land — ground
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. charge — a price
  23. current — happening now
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com